As Medical Justice put it: “they ruined the campaign to end the detention of children, which campaigners felt could be achievable as the government had already promised it.”

Along with notorious security firm G4S, children’s charity Barnardo’s runs the Cedars family detention centre in Sussex. This is where several asylum seeker families from Glasgow have been detained since it opened last year.

UNITY and other campaiginers will be leafleting outside the Barnardo’s shops in Glasgow at 250 Great Western Road G4 9EJ  and at 116 Dumbarton Road G11 6NY from 11.00am on Thursday 8th November.

Following a series of documented assaults on migrant families held in Cedars, the appalling treatment of the Saleh family, and the damning HM Inspector of Prison‘s report last month.

A 27 weeks pregnant woman who was brutally restrained by guards at Cedars was living in Glasgow before being detained with her husband and small son in a raid on her home in April this year which Unity publicised.

Barnardo’s does not really have the welfare of children at heart. If it did, it would have pulled out of Cedars as soon as its own red lines’ had begun to be breached. The reality is that these conditions relating to the use of force against minors and the length of detention at Cedars have been repeatedly broken, and Barnardo’s continued involvement in Cedars is only serving to legitimise the continued use of child detention.

As Medical Justice put it: “they ruined the campaign to end the detention of children, which campaigners felt could be achievable as the government had already promised it.”

Our aim is to put enough pressure on Barnardo’s to pull out of Cedars. We believe this will strip away any legitimacy for the continued use of child detention and take us closer to stopping it for real. We see the fight against child detention as one part of the struggle against the brutal system of immigration detention as a whole.

There are various simple ways through which you can take action and help stop child detention: if you can’t pay Barnardo’s a visit on the day, you can still phone, tweet or email them and their supporters. Do something!

1. Phone blockade. Call Barnardo’s and ask why they are continuing to work at Cedars despite the repeated breaches of their own Red lines. Remember, senior staff at Barnardo’s never have to hear from the families held at and deported from Cedars. Your phone calls and messages are a chance to put across some hard truths about Cedars.

– Barnardo’s head office: 0208 550 8822

– Press office:  020 8498 7555 (24 hours) – Media and communications managers:  0208 498 7685 or 0113 393 3245 – Corporate partnerships/fundraising: 0208 498 7138

– Commissioning their services as consultants: 0208 498 7734

– Supporter care/telephone donation line: 0800 008 7005

If you would like to protect your anonymity (if you don’t want a call back from Barnardo’s, for example), dial 141 before entering the number.

2. Tweet. If you have a Twitter account, why not tweet these celebrity endorsers of Barnardo’s (see Barnardo’s website for details of their support for the charity). Ask them, politely, if they are aware of Barnardo’s role in Cedars, and whether they might reconsider supporting them.

Actor and author Stephen Fry: @stephenfry

Actress Fay Ripley: @FayRipley Actress Michelle Collins: @missmcollins Actress Amanda Holden: @Amanda_Holden Taekwondo Olympic bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad: @LutaloMuhammad Rugby player James Haskell: @jameshaskell

3. Leaflet Barnardo’s charity shops. Most Barnardo’s shop volunteers and customers probably don’t know what Barnardo’s is involved with. You can let them know about Cedars and what goes on inside.

UNITY and other campaiginers will be leafletting outside the Barnardos shops in Glasgow at 250 Great Western Road and at 116 Dumbarton Road from 11.00am.

4. Pay a visit to Barnardo’s offices. For a list of all Barnardo’s addresses, see this page.

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